President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
“I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph Aoun, of Lebanon, and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel. These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Razin' Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a Lasting PEACE,” Trump added.
Israel initially said the ceasefure between the U.S. and Iran did not apply to Lebanon, and Israeli forces had continued striking Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists there since.
House Republicans blocked a new attempt by Democrats to halt the U.S. military campaign against Iran, standing by President Donald Trump, who has voiced confidence that the conflict in the Middle East could wrap up soon.
Lawmakers voted 213 to 214 against approving the resolution introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., which would have required Trump to end hostilities with Iran absent congressional approval. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, was the lone Democrat to join Republicans in opposing the measure.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has repeatedly called on Congress to end the Iran conflict, was the sole Republican to back the war powers resolution. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted present.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., could afford to spare just two GOP defections in a party-line scenario.
The failed vote comes as House Democrats have been engaged in a relentless pressure campaign to force Republicans to assert congressional oversight over the conflict.
"This is not a skirmish. This is not a military operation. This is a war," Meeks said Thursday. "Now we're not the Iranian parliament, and we should not be rubber stamps."
But House Republicans are largely standing by the president and argue that a successful war powers resolution would undermine him.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday that “There are no dates yet” for the next round of U.S.-Iran peace talks.
“We will announce the timing of these talks as and when it is decided,” Andrabi said, adding that Pakistan’s role as a mediator and facilitator did not end when the first round of talks concluded over the weekend.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is visiting Iran with a delegation, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also traveling to regional countries to promote peace.
“We will continue to advocate for peace, prosperity and stability,” he said.
Asked about the first round of talks, Andrabi said there was “certainly not a major breakthrough in terms of any concrete document emanating from these talks, but there was no breakdown as well.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}Fatih Birol, the director of the International Energy Agency, revealed Thursday that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of jet fuel left as the global energy trade continues to be impacted by the conflict with Iran.
Nearly 20% of the world’s traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime. Birol warned that not reopening the waterway within weeks could compound the repercussions for global energy supplies.
“In Europe, we have maybe six weeks or so [of] jet fuel left,” he said. “If we are not able to open the Strait of Hormuz... I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel,” he told The Associated Press.
“Many government leaders tell me that if Hormuz is not open until [the] end of May, many countries — starting from the weaker economies — are going to face huge challenges, and this will go from the high inflation numbers to coming close to slow growth or even to recession in some cases,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will not speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for now, a Lebanese official told Fox News Digital, dealing a setback to U.S. efforts to broker direct contact between the two countries as fighting continues across southern Lebanon.
The development came after President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the two leaders could speak for the first time in decades.
"We are trying to create a little breathing room," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon had not spoken in some 34 years and saying, "It will happen tomorrow."
But Lebanese officials quickly pushed back. A senior Lebanese official told Fox News Digital that no call between Aoun and Netanyahu is likely before a ceasefire is reached.
Three Lebanese officials told Reuters that Aoun has no plans to speak with Netanyahu in the near future. Two of the officials said Lebanon's embassy in Washington conveyed that position to the Trump administration before Aoun held a phone call Thursday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a brief statement after the call, Lebanon's presidency said Aoun thanked Rubio for U.S. efforts to secure a ceasefire.
Shortly afterward, Lebanon's presidency said Aoun also spoke by phone with Trump.
According to the Lebanese presidency official X account, Aoun thanked Trump for his efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon and achieve what it described as a lasting peace and stability that could pave the way for a broader regional peace process.
The presidency said Aoun urged Trump to continue those efforts in order to stop the fighting as quickly as possible.
Trump, according to the Lebanese readout, voiced support for Aoun and Lebanon and said he remained committed to securing a ceasefire as soon as possible.
U.S. Central Command announced Thursday that 14 ships "have turned around to comply with the blockade” of Iranian ports after the first 72 hours of enforcement.
“U.S. forces are focused, vigilant, and highly motivated as they execute a blockade on vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said on X.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said earlier Thursday that “More than 10,000 sailors, marines and airmen, over a dozen ships and dozens of aircraft” are carrying out the blockade.
{{#rendered}}Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the Trump administration has received assurances from China that it will not supply weapons shipments to Iran during the ongoing ceasefire.
"President Trump has a very strong and direct relationship with President Xi and they communicated on that,” Hegseth said. “And China has assured us that that indeed is not going to happen.”
Trump has warned China it would face "big problems" if it supplies air defense systems to Tehran.
"If China does that, China is gonna have big problems, OK?" Trump told reporters on Saturday.
U.S. intelligence assessments indicate China may be preparing to supply Iran with shoulder-fired air defense systems — and could possibly have already moved some, according to multiple news reports citing intelligence sources. Officials caution the intelligence is not definitive, and there is no evidence the systems have been used against U.S. or Israeli forces.
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday that morale is “very high” across the U.S. military during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
Cooper spoke at the Pentagon after returning from a trip to the Middle East. CENTCOM said Wednesday that Cooper engaged regional partners in six different countries during his visit and met with U.S. troops.
“Morale is very high, and anyone in the military can take about two seconds to figure out what morale looks like by meeting around with the people,” Cooper said Thursday. “And it is crystal clear these are motivated young men and women.”
“I had the wonderful privilege of writing a letter early on in the operation, to the team forward, and I told them this was going to be a mission of extreme consequence and serving at a time where you are making a difference -- consequential, as the secretary and the chairman have described over and over again -- is incredibly and deeply meaningful. And I think that's the key part of the drive, as well as being great teammates across the board. It’s a privilege to watch" he also said.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said 13 ships have so far “made the wise choice of turning around” instead of attempting to break through the U.S. military’s blockade on Iranian ports.
“As of this morning, U.S. Central Command has not been required to board any particular ships,” Caine said at the Pentagon as he showcased a series of graphics illustrating the ongoing blockade.
“At each point, the United States Navy, will transmit a warning,” Caine also said. “A young sailor, normally on the bridge of one of those destroyers, a junior officer picks up that mic and transmits, and I quote, ‘do not attempt to breach the blockade. Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure transiting to or from Iranian ports. Turn around or prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force.’”
{{#rendered}}Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine said Thursday that “More than 10,000 sailors, marines and airmen, over a dozen ships and dozens of aircraft” are carrying out the ongoing U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports.
"I'd like to emphasize during this pause that the United States Joint Force remains postured and ready to resume major combat operations at literally a moment's notice," he said.
“The unprecedented effort by America's joint force during Operation Epic Fury set the conditions for this ceasefire," Caine added.
Caine said enforcement of the blockade “will occur inside Iran's territorial seas and in international waters.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Thursday that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have so far decided to stay out of the Iran conflict and tensions surrounding maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
“As far as the Houthis thus far, they have stayed out of it, which, of course, we think is a good decision by them,” Hegseth said. “And I think it's a reflection of the fact that, over a year ago in Operation Rough Rider, we had an ongoing and intense campaign that demonstrated American capabilities, which has them, hesitating, to want to do something on that strait, which I think would be a poor choice."
The U.S. launched a major air and naval campaign in 2025 — known as Operation Rough Rider — to counter Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, after the group began targeting commercial vessels in opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth slammed the news media’s coverage of the war with Iran Thursday, calling it an “endless stream of garbage.”
Speaking at the Pentagon, Hegseth ripped the “legacy Trump-hating press,” adding, “Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors.”
“I just can't help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage. You cannot resist peddling, despite the historic and important success of this effort and the success of our troops,” Hegseth added. “Sometimes it's hard to figure out what side some you're actually on. It's incredibly unpatriotic.”
Hegseth said he listened to a story in church over the weekend from the Gospel of Mark about Jesus entering a synagogue and thought to himself "our press are just like these Pharises."
"Not all of you, not all of you, but the legacy Trump hating press," Hegseth said. "Our politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors. The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative. The hardened hearts of our press are calibrated only to impugn."
"I would ask you to open your eyes to the goodness, the historic success of our troops, the courage of this president, and this historic moment for a deal that could end the Iranian nuclear threat, the incredible battlefield victory laid before your eyes, the not one, but two incredible rescue missions," he said. "Miracles, you might say, or a locked in blockade."
{{#rendered}}Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told Iran’s new regime Thursday to "choose wisely” on reaching a deal with the Trump administration, adding that the U.S. military is “reloading with more power than ever before and better intelligence.”
Hegseth spoke at a Pentagon news briefing attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, who recently returned from the front lines.
Hegseth said Cooper is making sure the U.S. military “continues to implement an ironclad blockade and ensures that our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal.”
“And that is what we urge this morning, that this new Iranian regime choose wisely,” Hegseth said.
“We're watching you,” Hegseth said in a message to Iran’s military leadership. “Our capabilities are not the same, our military and yours. Remember, this is not a fair fight and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to. While you are digging out, which is exactly what you're doing --- digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities --- we are only getting stronger.”
“You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them. You have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities. You only have what you have. You know that. And we know that. You can move things around, but you can't actually rebuild. You can dig out for now, but you can't reconstitute. But we can,” Hegseth continued.
“We are reloading with more power than ever before and better intelligence, even more importantly, better intelligence than ever before. As you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye, we are locked and loaded on your critical dual use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry. We'd rather not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button,” he also said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine will hold a briefing at 8 a.m. ET at the Pentagon as President Donald Trump's blockade on Iranian ports is in full effect.
The Israel Defense Forces said it uncovered more than 130 weapons belonging to the terrorist group Hezbollah inside a school in southern Lebanon.
The firearms found in the area of Bint Jbeil included “Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, and additional weapons,” it said.
“Alongside the weapons, the troops also found Hezbollah flags and other terrorist organization insignia. The forces confiscated the weapons and continued operations to search the area and clear it of terrorists,” the IDF added.
Hezbollah is aligned with Iran, and Israel has been targeting the terrorist group since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion.
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization systematically exploits the civilian population in Lebanon in order to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the IDF also said.
Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}U.S. Central Command released a new photo Thursday showing Marines conducting “live hoist training” on the flight deck of the USS Tripoli, one of the American ships operating in the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury.
“Tripoli and its 3,500 Sailors and embarked Marines are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said.
CENTCOM also said Wednesday, “After implementing the blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports, American forces halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.”
“U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen remain positioned and ready to act against any vessels seeking to violate the blockade,” it said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, that there was a unanimous demand from the international community to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Wang Yi told Iran's Araghchi in a phone call that Iran's sovereignty, security and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but that freedom of navigation and safety through the strait was needed.
"Working to resume normal passage of the strait is a unanimous call from the international community," Wang said on the call, according to a government statement on Wednesday.
Wang also stressed that the current situation had reached a critical juncture between war and peace, adding that the window of peace was opening.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Iranian military adviser threatened that Tehran could sink U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz during an ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed on state TV Wednesday that President Donald Trump wants to be the “police” of the key waterway, according to the AFP.
“Is this really your job? Is this the job of a powerful army like the US?” Rezaei reportedly said. “These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles and have created a great danger for the U.S. military. They can definitely be exposed to our missiles and we can destroy them.”
Rezaei also remarked that it would be “great” if U.S. forces launched a ground invasion of Iran, claiming Tehran “would take thousands of hostages and for each hostage we would get a billion dollars,” reports said.
U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday that “Ten vessels have now been turned around and ZERO ships have broken through since the start of the U.S. blockade on Monday.”
“After implementing the blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports, American forces halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” it added.
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